Drugstores say Medicare's $50 obesity drug program is catching on

Medicare's $50 obesity drug program is proving popular The Bridge program.

Key points

• CVS notes it has filled more than 100, 000 Bridge prescriptions as of mid-August.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not provide NPR with figures for how plenty of residents are taking advantage of the Bridge program.
• Starting in July, Medicare began allowing eligible beneficiaries to obtain obesity drugs for $50 a month.
• It estimates that the bill could run between $1.3 billion and $10 billion, depending on how plenty of of the almost 4 million eligible beneficiaries participate.
• Shane published a research paper a few years ago that concluded expanding Medicare access to GLP-1s 10 years could reduce healthcare spending and improve quality of life.

Medicare's $50 obesity drug program is proving popular The Bridge program. It began July 1, makes some Medicare beneficiaries eligible for obesity drugs for $50 a month. CVS and Walgreens say they've each already filled 100, 000 such prescriptions. Drugstores say Medicare's $50 obesity drug program is catching on. August 26, 20265: 11 PM ET. Heard on All Things Considered. Medicare's $50 obesity drug program is proving popular, pharmacy chains say.

Plenty of Medicare beneficiaries can now secure coverage for obesity drugs such as Wegovy. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption. Scott Olson/Getty Images.

Starting in July, Medicare began allowing eligible beneficiaries to obtain obesity drugs for $50 a month. Less than two months in, CVS and Walgreens tell NPR they've each filled around 100, 000 such prescriptions.

In practice, the prescriptions were created feasible as part of a pilot called the Bridge program.

By law, Medicare is barred from paying for weight loss drugs, but the administration came up with a workaround. Medicare will cover the drug, if a person meets certain conditions, such as having obesity combined with high blood pressure that's hard to control.

Medicare's pilot GLP-1 discount program has a catch. Some sick patients don't qualify.

As Medicare part D should already cover GLP-1 drugs for those conditions, nevertheless, beneficiaries are ineligible if they have sleep apnea or Type 2 diabetes. The Bridge program is due to run through the end of 2027.

"We expected there would be uptake, " notes Walgreens' chief pharmacy officer Rick Gates, explaining that stores around the country stocked extra Wegovy, Zepbound and Foundayo to prepare for the July launch. "I think there's been a little bit more uptake than we even expected."

Walgreens pharmacies had to adjust a little as the program obtained up and running, but haven't run into any supply matters, Gates notes. Around half of the patients Walgreens has served as part of the Bridge program had never taken GLP-1s before, he adds.

"That's the part where pharmacies naturally will lean in, " he notes, explaining that it's notable to create sure patients don't stop therapy as of the initial side effects, such as nausea and diarrhea. "Those are the things that pharmacists can really help with."

CVS notes it has filled more than 100, 000 Bridge prescriptions as of mid-August. The pharmacy chain notes it additionally has options for individuals who aren't eligible for the program. "CVS Pharmacy accepts a wide range of third-party prescription discount cards, manufacturer coupons, and manufacturer vouchers to help reduce out-of-pocket costs, " the firm wrote in an official note to NPR.

Walmart additionally serves as a pharmacy for numerous patients around the country. The store chain didn't provide a number for Bridge program prescriptions it has filled, but it did say that those prescriptions have been growing week over week. "Bridge prescriptions have now been processed at more than 5, 000 Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacies nationwide, " the firm went on in an official note to NPR. Millions of beneficiaries could be eligible.

Jeremy Shane, a nonresident scholar at the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Administration Service, states the numbers retail pharmacy chains shared with NPR show that seniors are making employ of the temporary program.

"I think those are big numbers and they're encouraging about the demand for those medications, " he notes. "Before Bridge began, Medicare had estimated roughly concerning 4 million Medicare recipients might qualify for the program. And so if you figure this is 200, 000 and, you know, there might be as plenty of as twice as numerous that are out there through other chain drugstores and other prescription pharmacies. That's, you know, somewhere between 5% and 10% of the eligible population in just a short period of time."

Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not provide NPR with figures for how plenty of residents are taking advantage of the Bridge program. But CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz remarked in a video posted to the social media platform X on July 29 that 250, 000 beneficiaries had signed up. It's not clear whether those individuals were able to secure their prior authorizations approved. It is required to fill Bridge program prescriptions. Weighing cost and value.

For context, the administration hasn't remarked how much the 18-month Bridge program could cost, but the nonpartisan health research group KFF took a stab.

It estimates that the bill could run between $1.3 billion and $10 billion, depending on how plenty of of the almost 4 million eligible beneficiaries participate. For context, KFF notes that Medicare Part D spending on prescription drugs in 2025 was $181 billion.

Shane at USC notes there's more to it than that. "I think that the Bridge program is actually a great opportunity to refactor how we think about the price of medications and cost, " notes Shane. "And my personal perspective is cost is the wrong way of looking at it."

He notes it's notable to look at the value of these medications over time.

Shane published a research paper a few years ago that concluded expanding Medicare access to GLP-1s 10 years could reduce healthcare spending and improve quality of life. If individuals become healthier by taking GLP-1 medicines, society could spend less on other health complications, such as dialysis and hospitalizations.

"When you think about it, almost all of Medicare's costs are for people who have multiple chronic conditions and given age, they deteriorate over time, " he notes. "And so the value for Medicare is how can we stop or slow or prevent the progression of disease? And the longer they can do that, the bigger the value is at the end."

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Taken together, the developments around drugstores say Medicare' s $50 obesity drug program is catching on point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.